Electrical adapters are widely used to convert alternating-current into regulated direct-current for use with laptop computers, cellular telephones and other devices. Electrical adapters are typically designed to provide a constant voltage up to some rated level of output power. The present trend is toward increasing power output capabilities in accordance with the increasing demands of the load devices being served.
However, it is often possible to connect an electrical adapter to a computer or other device that requires a greater power output than the adapter is designed to provide. In another situation, an electrical adapter is capable of serving a respective device during some operating modes, but not others. The present teachings address the foregoing concerns.